Athenians woke up to a city covered with a layer of snow, even in the city center, after temperatures plummeted overnight. Intense snow fall on some sections of Parnitha and Penteli since Wednesday morning led to the closure of roads from the funiculur and the road section leading to the casino and from the 414 Military Hospital to St. Peters crossroad. The peripheral road connecting Penteli mountain to Nea Makri has been closed.

Snowfall is thickest in the northern suburbs, especially around Penteli, Pallini, Holargos, Marousi, Agios Stephanos, Kifissia and Filothei with a number of schools shut down due to the extreme weather.

Schools at the Municipality of Penteli (Palaia Penteli, Nea Penteli, Melissia) and Pallini will be closed due to the snow. Schools at the Municipality of Mandra will open at 9 a.m. and those at Chalandri, Vrilissia and Dionyssos will open their doors to students at 10 a.m.

Other schools shut: Glyka Nera, Thrakomakedones, Varybombi, Afidnes, Kapandriti, Villia, Polydendri, Pikermi, Daou Penteli, Spata, Nea ionia, Paiania, Anogeia of Crete.

Pallinis Mayor Athanassios Zoutsos announced that all educational levels (nursery, primary and secondary) as well as childcare facilities of the municipality will remain shut on Thursday due to the weather conditions.

Schools at the northern Greek region of Florina – no stranger to heavy snowfall – will open at 9 a.m. on Thursday and Friday.

At Oropos, a small town in east Attica, the schools will run as usual on Thursday.

Schools at Ilion will operate as usual.

Problems around Greece

Low temperatures around many areas in Northern Greece and Thessaly are causing frosty conditions on the Greek road network. The thermometer plunged to -8C in Florina, -6C in Kozani and Serres, -5C in Kastoria, -4C in Kavala and Alexandroupolis and -3C in Thessaloniki. Snow chains are required in many regions around Chalkidiki as well as the old national highways of Thessaloniki-Ierissos (Taxiarchi, Arnaia, through Holomontas), Thessaloniki-Taxiarhi, Palaiokastro-Taxiari and regional roads Polygyrou-Taxiarhi (via Tsoukala) and Neohoriou-Varvaras-Olympiada as well as roads to and from the North Pellas ski center through kerasia, and from the 200-250km mark through Arnissas and from 90-250km.

At Imathia, snow chains are required to move on the old national Thessaloniki-Kozani highway from 810-980km (through Kastania) and through regional roads from Veroia to the Selios ski center and from 40km and Naoussa to the 3-5 Pigada ski center from 70-170 km. Ski chains are also necessary from the road linking Kastaneri with Livadia at Kilkis.

At Kastoria, heavy snow fall have resulted in the closure of the Kastoria-Florina regional road through Vitsiou from 280-350km and snow chains are required on the same roadway from 180-280km.

Snowchains are required at Thessaly along the Karditsa-Arta regional road from 140-610km (Tympanas area) and the Mouzakiou-Stephaniada roadway from 100-220km (Agios Nikolaos area) at the Municipality of Karditsa. Problems are also noted on the Volos-Zagora Magnisia national roadway (Ano Klados) from 250-380km and the kallipefki Larissa regional road at Kallipefki Larissa at the border with the prefecture of Pierie from 10-100km.

Weather

Thursday will have mostly fair weather and northerly winds. Wind velocity will reach 7 on the Beaufort scale. Northern parts of the country will have mostly fair weather with temperatures ranging from -3C-7C. Eastern parts will have temperatures between 1C-13C. Partly cloudy and sleet in the eastern parts and temperatures between 1C-8C. Sleet over the islands, -2C-10C. Partly cloudy with sleet in Athens, 1C-7C. Mostly fair in Thessaloniki, -2C-6C.

Friday’s weather

Friday’s weather will be generally fair with local clouds over Crete and sleet in the morning hours. Northerly winds from 4-6 Beaufort and 7-8 Beaufort in the Aegean. Temperatures will slightly increase with frosts in northern areas in the morning hours.